The Time I Was a Totally Extra Parent

This post is in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures

When I saw the trailer for The House, starring Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell, I laughed so hard I cried because what parent on the planet hasn’t had that moment of being totally extra?! Between laugh crying and nodding along, it reminded me of that time that I had my very own, going overboard to fulfill my kid’s dream moment.

Now this is no story of opening an underground casino like Scott (Ferrell) and Kate (Poehler) Johansen to put my kid through college, mostly because my kid was seven years old at the time and that would be a level of extra I can’t even comprehend. Plus it feels like it would be a lot of work to maintain that hustle for ten years. Mine was less drastic, but just as extreme.

There’s a highway landmark on the way from California to Arizona, just off the I-10. I remember going there as a child when we’d take family road trips. Fast forward a few decades to me as a mother, I’ve got a kid of my own, obsessed with dinosaurs like his mama, and eager to visit the dinosaurs in the desert. Who am I to deny such a request? At the time we had no road trips planned so I took it upon myself to spontaneously pack us up in the car and drive a few hours to see them. We ended up being there a max of I’d say five minutes and then we were back in the car and on our way home. It was an entire day just to look up at dinos. So much for a blip of instant gratification, but that’s what parenting is all about after all.

Don’t forget to follow The House online for all the latest updates and hilarity!